Tire



'DE LEQN DAVIS.

I TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 5, 1917.

Patented Apr. 12 1921. l

v citizen of4 the- United States,

. bars or plates enga ing cross ref. ae

DE LEON DAVIS, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIQFIQ'OI?,V TO UNITY TIRE & MFG. C0., v

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. I

TIRE. y

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

Application led October 5, 1917'. Serial No. 194,843.

T 0 all whom'z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, DE LEON DAvis, a residing in the city of Richmond, county of Henrico, and State of Virginia, have invented certain neW and useful Improvements in Tires, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ltires. Its principal object -is to provde a simple, strong, durable and resilient tire for a Wheel, for instance such as'used on automobiles. It is a specific object to provide an improvement described lin the tire construction illustrated,

and claimed in my co-pending application,

1915, tov

Serial No. 54:64, filed February which reference is made.

The principal departures shown herein from the invention of my said co-pending application are invinterlocking means between the tire casing Walls and the removable tread element, and in the tire Walls adjacent to the removable annular tread. I also show the application of the improvements to a straightside tire as well as to the clencher construction shown in my said co-pending application.

.In the accompanying drawings, which forni a part of this specification, the interlocking means herein referred to are shown in what I nonY consider their most advantageous construction, which construction is illustrated in several slightly modified l'orms or adaptations for particular arrangements or Jforms of tire casing Walls. In these drawings Figure l is a cross sec-tional View showing relatively small projections on out- Ward widely spaced apart and disconnected peripheral portions of the tire casing side walls interlocked retaining cross bars or plates, the view showing also straight-side Wall construction With a flexible inextensible element in 'the bead cores; 4

Fig. 2 is a similar View to that ci" Fig. 1 showing Widely spaced apart outward, portions ot' the tire casing side Walls connected by a casing tread Wall substantially .flat cross-Wise, and showing intcrloc' means for the tread'lcomprising an inw tending longitudinal projection on e cross of similar length and orm in the tread Wall of the casing;

Figs. 3 and are respectively tace and a modification of with recesses inthe tread side yiews', on a reduced Scale, of the treadholding cross bars or plates 'of Fig. 2;

Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views to those of Figs. 3 and 4 showing the crossplates of Fig. 1; and

Fig. is a fragment of a Wheel showing partly 1n side View and partly in sectional view the improvements of Fig. 1 thereon.

Referring to Fig. 1 the annular side Walls 8 are provided with straight-side beads which are relatively Widely spaced apart. The bead cores 9 are shown as having em bedded therein respectively a flexible and inexpansible ring-shaped element 11 which may be ol' wires, as shown, or of any other suitable material. The tire construction includes an inner tube 12 and a strip of fabric l'adaptcd to protect the tube. In Fig. 2 the side Walls 15 have the clenclier type of beads 16 attheir outer extremities (the Word outer having reference to the axis of rotation of the tire), these outer portions being v 1 of my saidco-pending application, in which relatively narrow plates are arranged side by side around the tire. In Figs. 2, and 4f there are similar clencher elements 24 at the ends of the plates adapted to engage the beads 16. In Figs. 1, 5 and 6 the plates are shown as being bent to engage the straight-side beads 9. In both forms the ends of the plates 22 and 23 are bent inward to provide means respectively. A

In Fig. 1 the plates 22 are held flexibly yet inexpansibly side by side by an annular inexpansible ring-shaped strip of metallic mesh 26 secured to the vplates by a rivet 27 in each end portion of each plate. Between the mesh 2S and the several lates 22 I provide an annular layer of ru bor compound The tread portion 17 of the l for engagingl the beads ics 2S, which, upon vulcanization in the vulcanizing mold flows between edge ,portions of the plates 22, and also around and between the meshes of the fabric 2G, thus providing between the plates,v and between the plates and the mesh fabric, a cushion and a seal of rubber material. 1n the device of Fig. 2 the rubber compound strip 30 between the plates 23 and the fabric 3l performs a similar function to that. of the rubber 28 of Fig. l. The

fabric 3l is composed preferably of a con-v tinuous winding of lfrictional fabric in layers until a body thereof is formed adapted to withstand the outwardly directed pressure of the inner tube. This fabric strip 3l is thus a flexible and inextensible unit, andis held to the plates respectively by vulcanizim; as well as by the rivets 33.

The interlocking means between the tread and the tire walls or casing comprise broadly `a projecting part. or parts on one unit and a corresponding recess on the other. The construction is substantially that of a mortise and tenen or tongue and groove. ln Figs. l, 5 and G the plates 22 have outwardly extending recesses 35, and each of the side walls 8 is provided with a plurality of projections 36 spaced apart annularly. the projections 36 being adapted to intertt with the recesses 1n the structure of Fig. 2 the plates 23 have a longitudinal projection 3T in engagement with a similar recess 38 in the tread wall 1T of the tire casing. The rib-like projections and corresponding recesses are preferably long transversely so as to afford a strong interengagement cross wise of the tire. v

The plates 22- and 23 are preferably of met-al having strength and resiliency whereby they may be of light weight while adapted to withstand shocks of impact in service. ln my present practice the plates 22 and 23 are of steel, substantially one-half inch in width, about three thirty-secomls of an inch thick, and of a length appropriate for any particular cross section of tire being made.

After forming a ring of the plates 22 and 23 secured to the inextensible element, as 26 or 3l,y this ring is covered with rubber compound, placed in a mold and vulcanized to produce the wear tread portion, as 40 or 4l.

may place an additional ring of fabric, wire mesh or the like l2 within the body of the tread, as shownv in Fig. l for special uses.

By providing interlocking means between the plate and the tire side walls or casing I produce an exceedingly tight and strong relationship between the casingl and the removable tread device when the tire is inflated. and secure a coaetion between the casing or side walls and the tread which prevents creeping or slippage of the tread device upon the tire body while maintaining the Hexible character of the interii't between die two. The avoidance of such creepage saves the tire side walls from being rubbed or chafed u nduly by the inturned ends of the plates and also avoids a tendency to'dislocate the inner fabric, as 13, Fig. l, adapted to protect the inner tube. ln addition it gives the tir1 as a whole a character of rigidity and firmness of associated parts which contributes to resiliency in action. Another important function of the elevations or depressions in the plates (wbich'l. produce simply by stamping) is that the plates are materially strengtlumed whereby they may be of lighter material 'than would otherwise be called for.

An important feature ofthe form of tread device shown is in the fact that when the wear portion Ll0 `or 4l becomes greatly reduced in thickness, as when such wear reaches the flexible ring 42, Fig. l, or the rivets 33. Fig. 2, the tread device may be rehabilitated by simply vulcauizing addi- 'tional rubber material thereon.

l claim.'

A tire tread plate adapted to lie crosswise of and upon the periphery of ay tire,v said plate having its end portions formed to engage beads on the opposite sides respectively of the tire, the plate having a stamped-np projection adapted to intert with a` correspending recess on the peripheral surface of the tire, and means for holding the plateA upon the tire tread.

DE LEON DAVIS. 

